Amidst the high surges of the delta variant, the FDA is expected to authorize full approval and a booster dose may be recommended for people with compromised immune systems and those with underlying health conditions.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said that their advisory committee will probably meet to discuss booster doses on Friday, once the Food and Drug Administration makes its decision.
New Orleans And San Francisco To Require Vaccination Indoors; Boosters For Immunocompromised To Be Approved Soon-Latest COVID-19 Updates
This decision comes after cities like San Francisco and New Orleans reported a need to provide vaccination for indoor events. The decision is expected soon as the delta variant forms around 93% of the total nation’s cases.
Roughly 10 million people of the US will be covered under the booster dose plan, who consist of immunocompromised and who have undergone organ transplants, said an official from the inside.
A study from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in May reported that transplant patients made only 17% of antibodies in one dose, and 35% after two doses.
The state of Mississippi is witnessing a surge worse than the pandemic of last winter. Its daily average of new coronavirus cases has surpassed 2,700. The associate vice chancellor for clinical affairs, Alan Jones, who is also the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s response leader, said that if this rate of positive tests and hospitalizations continues for a week or 10 days, it will be a big failure of Mississippi’s hospital system. Jones said that the availability of beds is not a problem, but there aren’t enough staff members to care for the patients.
The state epidemiologist of New Mexico, Dr. Christine Ross, said that Albuquerque hospitals are overflowing with patients. Shortage of nurses and decrease in hospital beds are highly affecting the system. Ross called it quite alarming how the system is crumbling and the rates are rising. Ross said that people know what to do to flatten the curve by working together.
Many of the popular tourist destinations are restricting the unvaccinated people from visiting, whether they are visitors or locals.
San Francisco’s mayor, London Breed, said that evidence of full vaccination will be required for many indoor activities like gyms, restaurants, bars, entertainment sites among many others. It has become the first city in the nation to impose such measures.
New Orleans too is following its steps. Mayor LaToya Cantrell said that they have mandated vaccination proof in its famous restaurants, bars, and the home of the NFL’s Saints, Superdome. The mandate extends to public meetings including more than 500 people. New Orleans has provided an alternative option of showing proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours.
New York last week mandated one dose proof for indoors. Los Angeles is also in the process of mandating proof of vaccination for activities like gyms, bars, restaurants, and entertainment places like movie theatres and concert venues. The Council of Los Angeles has unanimously approved a draft that would restrict unvaccinated people from most indoor spaces.
President Joe Biden announced his plan of lowering prescription drug prices on Thursday. He referred to a Tennessee incident where healthcare workers were threatened. This was followed after the Williamson County board of education announced the requirement of masks in elementary schools. Hundreds of angry crowds protested against this with signs. Calling frontline workers, doctors, and nurses “heroes”, Joe Biden said that they were providing their best care for vaccine-hesitant people. He also applauded the school
superintendents, mayors, local leaders, and teachers who stood up to governors who were politicizing mask mandates.
According to Johns Hopkins University data, the US has seen almost 36.2 million confirmed COVID-19 cases with 618,000 deaths.